The Central Mountains Republic, part 2 by Joe Rathbone THE BACK GROUND - PY NAE KOT THE DOCK WORKER For some years now, she has worked, really WORKED at one of the many docks for one of the many companies that deal with the loading and un-loading of ships. The heart of Seattle is its sea- port services. Seattle is the biggest sea-port in the North-West and closest point in the continuous 48 states to Asia. Py Nae Kot helps unload and load big, ocean-going vessels, a job usually associated with big burly men. And indeed, the majority of the dock-workers are that kind of man. The shear size and power of her body, with her skimpy clothes "show casing" her impressive musculature helped her acquire the job. They primarily need big, strong and tough personnel for the docks. As in many places, the tendency to avoid hiring an Indian or a Woman is considerable. But maybe the two "canceled" each other out in the mind of the typical White personnel manager of limited education. His thinking probably followed this general thread: "The docks are not the place for a lady. But she's an Indian; nah, they're rough and ready and not really ladies anyway. Plus she's big as a horse, so, why not?" And the personnel manager simply recognized a potential excellent Dock Worker when he saw one. Once Py Nae Kot began her job as Dock Worker, the correctness of the Personnel Manager's decision became apparent. Plus they now had a Native American they could show the Equal Opportunity Feds. Py Nae Kot associated with the other Dock Workers only a little at first, for, to her, they are all "pale-faces", not to be trusted. But most of them are of a younger generation, holding less bias against Indians. And they are basically good-hearted, rough hewn though they may be. They think Py Nae Kot is really special. They are fascinated with her and respect her. Later, Py Nae Kot became friendlier with them, giving them her big, pretty smile often and friendly greetings. There is one man she DOES associate with, a lot; she is with him all the time. He is Sunn, ALSO a Native North American. He became a Dock Worker after she did. The Personnel Manager, having had good luck with one Indian, figured he may as well hire a second. He is big, but not quite Py Nae Kot's equal at 6 feet and 1 inch, 210 pounds. Sunn also does not associate much with the other workers, but mostly because he tends to be shy anyway. Unusual for a Native American male, he is shy even among his own people. Self confident Py Nae Kot did not associate with the other dock workers at first because she generally does not like or trust White men. It appears Sunn's very shyness is an endearing feature that makes her feel warm toward him. In obvious role reversal, Py Nae Kot tends to be protective of her sensitive, artistic Sunn when around those rough guys of the docks. Sunn IS an artist; he is an accomplished painter, wood sculptor, and can play guitar. Currently he is on a Totem-Pole project with some others. Both Sunn and Py Nae Kot commute by bicycle from their small town on the North-West shore of Puget Sound, crossing the Sound by ferry, then on through Seattle itself to the big sea- port and docks area where they work. Py Nae Kot is valuable to that dock service company because she is such an energetic, strong and tough worker. She seems to work comfortably with no ill effects in chilly misty conditions dressed only in that black t-shirt and denim mini-skirt. Such weather sends many a fellow dock-worker home with bad colds and flu. It seems to them Py Nae Kot never gets sick. But Py Nae Kot suspects they do not treat her and her Native American boy friend fairly. One day as they sat on crates eating lunch just inside a ware- house, her arms wet with a mixture of sweat and misty rain droplets and her sleeveless t-shirt like wise damp, they watched a big fork-lift tractor moving crates. Its driver was probably thankful to be inside that fork-lift's cab, warm and dry, for the temperature was in the mid forties, with drizzle and gusty winds. The weather did not bother Py Nae Kot, but Sunn found it uncomfortable. He said, "I don't understand it... I've been here... and you too... been here for five years! Why don't they train US to operate the fork-lifts, conveyers, cranes or anything? That guy in there now has been here for only a few months and already he gets to do that. It would sure be nice to be in there, out of this rain and cold." Py Nae Kot smiled and leaned toward Sunn with her face close to his, her eyes meeting his, and her full, moist lips expressing sympathy for Sunn close to his. She had to fight an urge to cradle him in her arms, she thought him sweet and vulnerable. The instinct to protect this Native American boy (actually a man) was strong. She answered in a calm and soothing tone of voice, an almost Motherly tenderness reserved specially for Sunn. "Oh I don't know if it would be THAT nice to be in there! The cool breeze is refreshing! And that guy in there is breathing a lot of carbon monoxide. You wouldn't wanna be doing that would you? That wouldn't be good for you." Then Py Nae Kot straightened up, looked away from Sunn and across the dock area. In a much harsher voice she continued, "But as to why you and I are being held back, the answer is obvious... We're not pale-faces and we have no relatives here! It's as simple as that." "But," Sunn started to say, "there are laws that..." Py Nae Kot interrupted, "The laws are at best, temperamental, not dependable, and generally subject to whether the pale- faces can get away with ignoring those laws. Besides, even among the pale- faces, there is unfairness. Alright, you say he has been here only a few months and already he has that nice task. But what about the OTHER pale-faces? A lot of them have been here for years but still work out here just like us! He probably has a relative in the company somewhere, that's all." Turning back to Sunn, she continued in a voice reserved for him, a voice particularly dulcet, "I wish I could make it better for you... I wish... I wish I could just whisk you away, far away to a better land..." with her lips pursed, as ready for a kiss, Sunn was unconsciously drawn in... Peck! She laid one on him, quick and light, filling him with warmth and vigor enough to get through the rest of the day! Py Nae Kot's voice naturally tends to be soft, even melodic. She speaks in a lower register for a woman and is soothing to listen to. When talking to any Native American Man, her voice conveys a touch of Love and tenderness reserved for her Native American Brethren, but especially so for Sunn. But Py Nae Kot sure lacked respect for the White race as a particular incident will bear out. Py Nae Kot, a good archer, once used a target that her Mother did not agree with. Py Nae Kot practices the bow and arrow in a pretty area just outside her home town designed for that purpose. It features woodland trails with archery targets of various difficulty levels. Sometimes, however, the targets, mounted on bales of hay, are so full of holes from other practicing archers until they are impossible to see. The usual targets are the typical concentric circle type. But Py Nae Kot sometimes brought her own. One time, Py Nae Kot, who can draw well, drew some and copied several off via a copy machine. As she came to each target, she would mount it and then practice shooting at it. Well, what she drew, for target practice involving shooting arrows at, was a "stereo- typical" white man. Leaving the targets after she was done, other Native Americans using the archery range noted the targets. They did not know who put them up, however. Maybe Py Nae Kot thought nothing of it; the White Man is not a favorite creature among many of the Native Americans. After all, the White Man stole their nation. But one day, after reading some articles on the celebrated Columbus day, and how Columbus meant doom for Native American Nations, Py Nae Kot got the bright idea in her head to xerox a bunch of pictures of Columbus that she saw in a newspaper. Py Nae Kot mounted THOSE as she worked the archery range. And shot at them. And after she was done, left them there. Word of the pictures of Columbus mounted as archery targets was out and it disturbed Py Nae Kot's Mother (among others). Again, because Py Nae Kot did not think that much of it, she was not that careful in hiding her "stock" of "general-pale-face" and the "Columbus" targets. In fact, she made NO attempt to hide, they were merely kept in a dresser drawer. Well, as Moms do sometimes, Py Nae Kot's Mother was looking for something else and went through Py Nae Kot's dresser drawers looking for the item. And of course, she came upon the targets. When Py Nae Kot came home, her Mother confronted her about the find. Although Py Nae Kot's Mother was relieved to know that no attempt had been made to HIDE the targets, never the less, she had some stern words to say to Py Nae Kot about the targets. Sternly, but not loudly or screaming, her Mother declared, "You're turning in to a hateful, militant slut! Look at the clothes you wear! Is that ALSO a slap in the face of the White Peoples' society!?" (Sounds like a Mother, doesn't it?) Py Nae Kot replied to the question, "Could be! Or maybe I just feel comfortable in them. Once, not all that long ago, our people did not wear much clothes in the warmer weather. It wasn't until the pale-faces' hypocritical ways were forced upon us that clothes all of a sudden became so necessary. But I pay NO attention to pale-face laws!" Her Mother responded, "Okay, okay! I don't like what the white race did to us either. But you can't fill yourself with so much hate all the time! I don't want to see ANY MORE of these kinds of targets, understand!? You have the dubious distinction of being the ONLY Native American around here that came up with such a hateful idea. Shooting at pictures of Columbus! For shame!" Py Nae Kot, whose 6 and 1/2 foot frame towered over even her Mother who was a fairly big 6 feet even, simply quietly said, "All right Mom, I won't. And I'll throw away the rest of those in there..." That is all anyone ever heard of THAT business. Py Nae Kot was true to her word, no one at the archery range ever saw any more targets featuring pale- face caricature or Columbus! That was some years ago, and maybe Py Nae Kot has mellowed a bit. But the White Race is still not one of Py Nae Kot's favorite animals. But one thing for sure, and everyone knew it, Py Nae Kot would prefer a Native American Nation.